99 With An Anchor
by Kuumo
Summary: When Sakura went out the night, after tricking Tenten into an outrageous confession to Neji, she had her mind set on a comfortable and joyful evening with her returned teammates, nothing like the embarrassment she put Tenten through. Well, so the thought.


"_When to execute an ambush you must have three things; a plan B, back up and an escape route"… Strange how you need those things in the most basic of human contact and emotion… _

_..__One of Sai's many trips into finding out what emotions are really useful for..._

_

* * *

_

_**99 With an Anchor**_

_A One Shot- but a separate continuation of '__Snow Apples and Hazelnuts"_

**By** _**Kuumo~**_

_**

* * *

  
**_

"Emotions are the gateway to ones personal vendetta and weakness, they show what we really feel… a dangerous thing an enemy Shinobi _could_ and **will** use against you" And so it went on like that, those pesky little things that we call emotions seem to magically show themselves no matter how much we shun, hide and hate them.

Sai wasn't one for being picky with what he had, especially when he was blessed with so little, so he pretended to be happy with it. He knew he deserved more, he also knew it but he would never voice it as he watched his new accommodated team mates bicker over ones unhealthy but understandable addiction to beef broth and noodles.

He found it oddly amusing that they could go on for hours like this and at the end just smile and laugh, or for the latter a swift punch to the head, and be ready to do it again the next day.

Sai effectively tuned out of the conversation and grinned as he shoveled the bock-Choy and broccoli into his mouth. The rest of the conversation was kept on Sai's tabs as he joined and commented in choice sections in their conversations.

Sakura was currently beating Naruto verbally, considering Sai was tallying out in the _physical_ side of the beating… not a feat to be bragged fondly about considering that it was _easy_ to beat Naruto verbally. So Sai extended his hand and bowed his back so Naruto could take a step and shoot at the ever so proud Sakura.

Sai raised a brow as the conversation circulated the recent mission "slip" they had had; 'a repetitive thing' Sai thought dryly as he stirred his remaining vegetable ramen. He had a small fetish for tofu.

"Do we ever have normal missions?" Sai asked and drew some noodles from the watery broth and let them dry in mid air.

"Now that I think about it, your right!" the famed team seven kunoichi perked, her taste was more on the sweet side as she skillfully picked off a piece of Japanese pancake, its sweet and tangy sauce oozed from the sides and she only cooed as it did so. Her emerald eyes shone in amazement as she watched it, most like a child would upon discovering a present and opening it.

You wouldn't think a girl that could shatter bones with a half-assed slap, or level half a forest when ever she wanted to, and still heal her-self and others, to have such affection for a simple sweet.

Nothing was sweet about Sakura.

"Wrotcha mean Rai?" Naruto asked, with a _surprisingly_ noodle filled mouth, his brows up high but hidden by his hitai-ate. A couple of the chewed noodle specks flew onto the table, very close to Sakura hand. Sai and Naruto kept this secret for the better good.

"Face it Naruto, we never have mission's which are smooth… we never have an easy mission, even when they're supposed to be!"

"Narh, irt's nort…"Naruto chewed and swallowed his mouthful and waited a couple of tantalizing moments.

"It's not like that at all" Naruto argued and faced Sakura, clicking his chopsticks in her direction and went back to his beef ramen.

"How about our recent mission, huh? We were supposed to protect a cargo of _tea._ We were attacked by a group of _Cloud nin_ because a missing nin was one of the men leading the order, _who…_" Sakura placed a small piece of the vegetarian treat into her mouth and swallowed fast, it was too tempting to leave on her plate anymore.

"… Who happened to be one of the biggest men in the illegal opium trade" Sakura deadpanned and responded with snapping her chopsticks in Naruto's direction, her frown was sheepish as she watched him swallow his recent mouthful without chewing.

"I think its better that way, more exciting!" Naruto commented and stuffed his face with more then enough noodles for his large mouth, and when you think it was enough he managed to put a couple strips of beef in his mouth.

Sakura wondered where the hell it all went and if he had spent a little bit too much time with Chouji.

"Only because when you get **pummeled**_,_ I _have_ to heal you!" Sakura growled and pinched the tops of his ear with her chopsticks, her eyes sparkled with annoyance and affection.

Naruto liked to think the latter.

"Come on, I'm not that bad!" Naruto protested, his playful whine twirled at the end in an almost comical way, but Sakura was not convinced.

"You guys always end up finding a beauty while on these missions as well" Sakura pointed out, her nose in the air as she violently cut off another piece of pancake and shoving it into her mouth just as quickly.

"Not necessarily true-" Sai began, but was rudely interrupted.

"Of course you don't admit that, you're a man" Sakura chucked right back at him, her voice become shrill and arrogant with each syllable.

"What took you so long with that Cloud Nin, you were in his counseling for a while" Sai pulled off the innocent 'I'm just faking curiosity because I know your secret' routine. Sakura always made a crack at male's obsession with being perverted; it was time to prove Sakura was just as bad as them.

Sakura visible flinched and she gripped her ceramic cup of green tea tightly, her back stiffening and her neck twitched and creaked as her face revolved around to stare directly at the ex Root member.

"!" Naruto's voice was coarse with anger, words caught on a breathless whisper of breath.

Unseen by the pair was Naruto's reaction. The crack as the bowl in Naruto's hands shattered under the huge amount of pressure bought down upon the pottery; a thin layer of flaming chakra protected him from the small shards that would have embedded themselves into his fists. Incoherent growls and mumbles of anger punctured the air around them and the atmosphere became dank and spiked with the killing intent… If Sai had bothered to notice as Sakura took his throat into her small hand and gave one hell of a squeeze, the air in his neck tendon evaporated as quickly as his smirk.

"What about it?" Sakura murmured threw narrowed eyes, her brows drawn in anger and her face flushed with pink embarrassment. Her hands twitched against his neck, tightening again.

"I'm just saying your where inside for a while" Sai murmured, his left hand dropping the chopsticks to the table softly, turning slight to her with a straight mouth, one eye brow raised at her and at the hadn't around his neck with unnatural calm.

"What are you implying!?" Sakura asked haughtily, her blush forgotten and her grip loosened considerably, understanding that he was just making a statement not questioning her. She breathed softly before he began speaking.

"Only that…" He mumbled, his eyes darting behind him to his chopsticks and his food for a moment, pausing like his book said, dragging out a sentence with a pause meant reflecting and also caution.

Create an atmosphere, for fear.

"You're a hypocrite" Sai's mouth uplifted with a evil grin, his eyes more glazed and his eye browns drawn in a soft frown.

"What!?" Sakura's hands flew away from his neck as if she had been burnt; this wasn't supposed to be happening.

"You always have a crack at us for being 'off task' and 'flirting' " Sai pointed out, casting her a soft look of mock amusement, his own fake smirk becoming more and more real as her embarrassment played out before him like an open books. Sai _**loved**_ books.

"He only briefed me on the punishme-" Sakura defended, in a desperate attempt to gain some of her nerves and stand on steady ground instead of the shaking one Sai had created, her foundations where becoming more and more corroded with every shot he took at her.

"I bet what you did was a little more than brief" Sai interjected, his white teeth flashing her a wolfish grin as he watched her face become a darker shade of maroon, her eyes opening with shock and her words lost in her throat.

"_More_.**RAMEN!**" Naruto roared from his seat, Ayame, a mere bystander, was quick to do as he asks, slipping the noodles beneath his form with a utter look of horror as he threw the lip of the bowl to his mouth and began swallowing the substance inside whole.

"I will destroy you for saying such crude things to me, you bastard!" Sakura howled at him, her shocked eyes becoming fierce and as hard as emeralds they resembled, her faced drawn with creases as her eyes brows furrowed, her mouth twitching with a snarl.

"Stop being such a prude, so you admit it!" Sai told her, his indigent attitude towards her suffering was enough to throw her off completely. Her own self was battling over just admitting it or being secretive about the meeting. Nothing had happened of course, but she had never had anyone accuse her of doing anything like this with… with anyone! She had no experience in the matter at all and she was at a loss as to how to react.

Though, to others, admitting to it wasn't too hard, but for some, like Sakura, it was the only way to respond to such an accusation.

"I… NO!" Sakura fixed hurriedly.

"You can't escape it now, your one of us now!" Sai grinned feverously, a look of pure amusement and laughter on his face as he watched her choke on her words and her self discipline.

"_I_.**am**.**not**._like_.**you**" Sakura vowed heatedly, her fist pounding the table as if to show her certainty.

"You're more like us than you could even measure" Sai leaned in and grinned, his eyes closed in symmetry as he smiled widely at her. His mirth was indescribable; this was too easy, like reading a book. A very predictable novel, but he couldn't put it down at all, what ever the reason.

Addictive.

"Don't mistake me for you, you hopeless cause!" Sakura's clear face was again stained with embarrassment at his words, his closeness and his glorious smile. Why did he have to look so handsome when he was verbally abusing her?

"Why don't you just admit it?" Sai offered her offhandedly, his head retracting away from her own, bending his elbow on the edge of the bench to lean his head against the open palm of his hand.

"Cause its embarrassing to admit stuff like that!" Sakura yelled, not thinking about what she was saying, she was saying anything if it meant he would just shut up. Closing her eyes and covering them with her hands she groaned into her palm in aggravation and ignorance, her shoulders and chest heaving from some kind of exhaustion as his silence filled her pounding ears. Breathing in and out a few times, she peaked through her hands to look at him.

She should have thought about her words.

The invisible message was displayed in his smile, "I win".

"Nice dress Sakura-san" Sai commented with cocky grin and Sakura's arms gave way along with her head to the bench top with a loud thump. Groaning.

Sakura hated red. **Nothing was lucky about red.**

**

* * *

**

Lol, well this the end of my little two shot thingy and I am happy to announce that my confidence has been boosted by all the hits received (don't know if that means it was read or not o.O;;). So as a reward my long ass mini story (makes no sense, I know) will be added up as soon as I'm finished drafting it, the last chapter is completely finished (if that's any reassurance heh)… now the other three need to be written. Hahaha…

Please review if you find it necessary, criticism is welcome where ever it is found.


End file.
